Cutting gauge



c' F' BLOCK CUTTING GAUGE J-IY 10, 1951 Filed oct. v4, 195o C24/savane 12.22096 Patented July 10, 1951 CUTTING alineary Clarence F. Block, kBarrington, Ill.,.assignor.to

C. F. Block & Associates, Chicago, Ill., apartnership Application October 4, 1950, Serial No. 188,453 Y This invention relates tol an inexpensive device for gauging the cutting of circular objects into segments of desired size. vention deals with a cutting gauge attachable to a knife for dividing a circular cake or pie into the desired number of equal pieces.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided a measuring device or gauge attachable to the blade of a knife adjacent the knife handle to extend laterally therefrom preferably along an arcuate path. The extending portion of the gauge carries a slide and is equipped with indicia. In order to cut a pie or cake into the desired number of equally sized segments or pieces, a

starting cut is rst made with the knife from lthe center to the periphery of the pie or cake along a radius line. The slide is then positioned' on the gauge in alignment with the indicia indicating the number of pieces into which the pie or cake is to be cut. The thus set slide is then aligned with the initial radial cut and the knife will then be automatically positioned for the next radial cut. The operation is repeated by successively positioning the slide in alignment with the new' cut and the cake or pie will thereupon be uniformly divided into the number of pieces indicated by the indicia aligned with the slides,

The` cutting gauge of this invention is preferably'composed of a hard but inherently resilient v plastic material, so that it can be snapped onto and olf of the cutting knife.

lt is, then, an object of this invention to provide a gauge or measuring device that is readily Iattachable to a knife or cutter for gauging cutting operations to produce a desired number of equal sized segments from a circular object.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cake or pie cutting gauge attachable to a knife and having indicia thereon to be aligned with a preformed cut in the pie or cake to position the knife for cutting a segment that will be equivalent in size to the fraction of the whole pie or cake shown by the indicia.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pie or cake cutting gauge adapted to be snapped onto the blade of the cutting knife and extend laterally therefrom along an arcuate path and equipped along `its length with indicia showing l the number of pieces of equal size to be out from the cake or pie when the indicia is aligned with an initial radial cut in the pie or cake.

A still further object is to provide an inexpensive circular pie or cake cutting gauge having a head por-tion adapted to besnapped onto -a knife Specically, the in- Y diameter.

and an arcuate shank l2@ and a flat bottom lh.

portion slidably supporting an arrow and marked with indicia along its length showing the number of pieces of equal size that will be cut from a cake or pie when the ar- .:row aligned with the indicia is positioned successively opposite the last cut in the cake or pie.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pie cutter gauge insuring the division of a pie into a desired number of equal segments.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed.

sheet of drawings which, by way of preferred example only, illustrates one embodiment of the invention. Y

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating the cutting ofV a circular pieinto segments measured by the cutting gauge of this invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cutting gauge of this invention and a knife in position for receiving the gauge thereon.

Figure 3 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the sliding arrow for the gauge.

Figure 4 is a side elevational View of the gauge.

Figure 5 is a transverse cross-sectional vie-vv taken through the sliding arrow and the shank of the cutting gauge.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the arrow and shank of the gauge.

vAs shown on the drawings:

The cutting gauge l of this invention has a head Il and a laterally extending arcuate shank i2 preferably with a transversely convex top face The head Il has a slot l extending inwardly from the bottom edge thereof into spaced relation from the top edge and increasing in width as it approaches the top. The slot extends through the front and back faces of the head and divides the head into a pair of opposed jaws Ila. The gauge lil is preferably composed of plastic material having self-sustaining rigid properties but possessing an inherent resiliency enabling the jaws to be spread apart under load Without breakage of the head. Plastics such as vinyl butyral resins,` methyl methacrylate, polystyrene, and rstyrene copolymer type resins are especially suitable.

The arcuate shank l2 is preferably less than a quarter circle arc and is preferably struck on a 41/2 inch radius to best accommodate the gauging of circular pies and cakes from 8 to 10 inches in When the-shank I2 embraces the peripheralY edge ofsucha cake or pie, the knife gap at the convex top y Radial' guide lines I5'are providedfin l-spa'fc'zedl edge Hof' blade secured in the head II will be positioned along a radial line of the cake or pie.

The shank I2 has a slot I4 extending parallel with its sides intermediate the ends thereof. This slot I4, as best shown in Figure 5, converges from the iiat bottom I2b of the shank to a narrow I2a of the shank.

transverserelation along the forward the shank I2 and each guide line has a digit I6r transversely aligned therewith on the rear side-1V of the top wall of the Awall I2b is convex, the digits I6 are readily visible throughoutt angle. The digits IE indicate the` Vnumber/fof equal sized segments that can be cut from a circular object when the gauge An indicator I'I in the form of an arrow shank. Since this-top guide lineY I and the af-wd-f" is used las directed; j.:

slidably mounted on the shank I2 and includes -I an arrow head Ila. overlying the forward side of the top vwall I2b so that its pointedY endV can 'ben easily alignedwith any one Aof the'guideflines I5. theiA rearward portion of the shank containing the" The shaft i'lb of the arrow indicator overlies provided through the shaft portion adjacent the large end of the arrow head.

As best shown in Figure 5, the tabs I'Ic'and I'Id project into the slot It from the convex top I2a of the shank. rlhe tabs IIc extendin a forward direction toward the front face of the shank to follow the diverg'ing contour of the adjacent wall of the groove. The tab I'Id slopes `toward the rear face of the shank to follow the 'oppositelyinclined contour of the opposite wall of the slot: Since the tabs Ic and I'id diverge along oppositely inclined paths into engagement with the oppositely inclined side walls of the slot I4, the indicator slidable relation therewith.

When the arrow is mounted` on theshank` I2 as indicated in Figure 5, 'the window I8,Y as best shown in Figure 6, will overlie the line'of "the digits Iii to be selectively positioned above a digit.

As shown in Figures l and 2, a'knife 2U is provided for receiving the gauge. The knife has a` blade 2l and a handle 22 at one end of theblade. The head I I of the gauge, as illustrated in Figure 2, is disposed over the dull edge of the blade 2'I to receive the blade in the slot I3 with the :jaws IIa, clamped tightly against the side faces of the blade. The bottom of the slot I3 is easily bot-f tomed on the top or dull edge of the blade and the jaws will cooperate with this bottom tohold thev shank portion I2 of the gauge in af rigid laterally extending relation to the blade. The shank will lie along an arc struck from a radius and center that is intersected by the knife blade. ln other words, the head I I holds the knife.- blade 22 along a radius line of the shank arc. The head II is preferably positioned on the blade 2| close to the handle 22 to carry the shank at the periphery of the circular object being cut.

As shown in Figure 1, the cutting of va circular object23, such as a pie or cake, into the desired number of radial segments of equalsize is easily accomplished with the use of thefgauge, I0 lby, first using vthe blade. 2,I of; the knifato forin'an;

I1 will be retained on the shank- I2f'"in initial radial cut 24 from the center to the periphery of the object 23. The arrow indicator I'I is then set on the gauge to position the window I8 over the digit indicating the desired number of equal sized segments to be cut from the object. As illustrated in Figure 1, the indicator is set so that the window will be disposed overithedigitfnumbered 5 on Vthe shankI2. In

ths'fpositio'n, the l arrow-point will be valigned with the particular radial line I5 for positioning the knife for the next cut.

The arrow point is thenaligned with the cut 24 and the shank I2 of the gauge is positioned to embrace or extend aroundth'e periphery A'of the circular object 23 to position :the blade .2I of the knife for the next radial cut 25. Thesegment S between the cuts 24.and25 ,willbe equivalent in size to one-fifth of the circular object. To form the next segment, theiarrow is aligned with the cut 25 and the gauge will thereupon automatically position thai-knife to make the cut 2G. A second segment Si` .of thersame sizeas segments will be formed- VVThe operation is.

between thejcuts V25 and 25. repeateditoproduce cuts- 2l and 23 whereupon thecircular object 2?y segments. v

In an Aidentical mannen'any number of equal sized segments in excess of five can be forinedby setting the arrow so that its window will register with'the digits on the shank indicating the num.- ber' of pieces to be cut.-.As shown, the digita provide for five to sixteen pieces.

rFrom the above descriptions it will `.therefore be evident that the invention provides an in. expensive cuttingy gaugeV that -is readily. snapped onto anyflat bladed knife or cutter to extendv laterally therefrom in .an arcuate path so that a marker on the gaugegcan be aligned with a previously formed cutin a pie or cake to produce the desirednumber `or equal sizedpieces of the pie or cake.

It will be understood that modications, and variations may be effected without` departing from -thescope of the novel .concepts of present invention. Y Y

YI claim as my invention:

l. A` cutting gauge for circular piesand cakes.Y which comprises a member having a slotted headadapted to be mounted on the bladeoi aknifein fixedfrictionahengagement therewith, a shank extending laterally from said head along an arcuate path, a longitudinal groove through said shank', marking indicia at spaced intervals on said shank along the length ofthe groove, andv an indicator slidably mounted on saiclshankand in said groove for coacting with said indicia.V

2. A pie cutting vgauge comprising a molded plastic member having a head at one end adapted to be snapped onto the blade of'a knife, a shank extending laterallyv from said head along an arcuate path, said shank lhaving a convex top wall, a longitudinal groove through said shank intermediate the ends thereof, a marker having tabs slidably mounted' in said groove .and a pointer portion overlying the convex -face of the shank, and indicia onsaid shank showing the number of pieces of pie to` be cut when the Y marker is aligned therewith.

3. A pie cutting gauge which comprises a member having a knife blade-receiving head portion and a'- laterallyY extending arcuate shank portion with a transversely convex top face, a longitudinal groove in said shank portion'diverging v`from a narrow;gap insaid top face thereof, afmarker disposed over said top face ofthe is divided into fiveV equal,V

.theY

shank portion and having tabs depending therefrom into sliding engagement with the diverging side walls of the groove for retaining the marker on the shank, said marker having a window therein, and spaced digits on the shank adapted to be framed by said window for indicating the nmber of pieces to be cut from the pie.

4. A device adapted for gauging the cutting of circular objects into a desired number of segments which comprises a member having a head portion adapted to be mounted on `a knife, a shank extending laterally from said head portion along an arcuate path, said shank having a longitudinal groove therethrough diverging from a narrow gap in the top face of the shank, a marker disposed over said top face of the shank having tabs depending therefrom into sliding engage- 15 Number REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hagglund Feb. 16, 1909 Weinberg Nov. 5, 1947 

